Amy (Aces MC Series Book 3.5) (4 page)

He carried me up the stairs and into the flat, walking
straight through the living room and into my bedroom to place me directly onto
my bed. I lay still and kept my eyes closed to try and fool him into thinking I
was asleep, "That won't work on me Amy. We can either talk now or in the
morning but we will be having a discussion about your behaviour."
I groaned at his response and rolled onto my side. "Let's talk tomorrow,"
I said quietly. I lay still and could hear him shuffle from one foot to the
other before he stomped from the room closing the door behind him.
I left enough time for him to leave the hallway before I stood from the bed and
gave a stretch mindful of my scar. I needed some water but I wasn't prepared to
go into the kitchen to listen to Ethan reprimand me. I removed my handbag and slowly
unfastened my dress slipping it from my shoulders, and pulled back the duvet so
I could get into bed comfortably. Grabbing my mobile from my handbag I quickly
set my alarm, if Ethan wanted to talk tomorrow I'd make sure I was up and out
early so I didn't have to listen to him telling me off. I wasn't ready to
discuss things, he'd have to wait. As I closed my eyes the room spun but I
yawned because I was so tired and sleep quickly took me.

I woke suddenly hearing the alarm from my phone and quickly
grabbed it, turning off the sound not wanting to wake Ethan. As I sat upright,
my head thumped and I brought my hand up to smooth my forehead. I needed to ease
the drinking before I ended up doing something I regretted but I liked the
numbing sensation it also gave me.
I swung my legs from the bed and placed them on the cold laminate floor that
sent a shiver down my spine and instinctively scrunched my toes. The heating
hadn't come on yet and there was a chill in the air so I reached for my
dressing gown and draped it around my shoulders as I stood. I tiptoed quietly
from my bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom, Ethan's bedroom was
furthest away so he shouldn't hear the shower running but I tried my best to
keep the noise to the minimum through fear of waking him.

Once showered, I turned the taps off and stepped from the
cubical to quickly cover my body with a fluffy towel. I didn't like to see my
scar as it reminded me of what could have been which is one of the reasons I
had removed the mirrors from the rest of the flat. Tiptoeing to the door, I
pulled down the brass handle and opened it quietly to peer into the hallway. There
wasn't a sound apart from the thumping of my heart as I opened the door further
and leapt across the hallway and into the safety of my bedroom. I scurried
around my room as I got dressed and threw my make-up, hairbrush and a change of
clothes into a bag before I left my room and the flat.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I made it to the confines
of my car because if Ethan came out now I could simply drive away and pretend I
hadn't seen him. I sniggered to myself acting like a child running away from
her parents but that's how he made me feel sometimes, he was so over protective
and this was starting to become unbearable with the constant questioning and
asking if I was okay. I placed the keys into the ignition and jumped when a
hand slammed loudly on the windscreen. I sat back breathing heavily as I
quickly took in my surroundings to see Connor standing by the side of my car.
What
the fuck was he doing here?
I placed my hand on my chest trying to control my breathing from my fright
before opening the window. Connor moved and rested his arms on the open window
bringing his head down close to mine. Connor could be hard to read sometimes
but I knew by his expression that he'd obviously been informed about my antics
last night.
"Before you give me a lecture Connor, please take into consideration what
I've been through. I wanted to get drunk and just enjoy myself after weeks of
heartache. Is that really so bad?" I asked.
Connor was more sensitive than Ethan, that didn't mean he was a push over but
he would listen to me before making judgement. His kindness had been considered
as weakness over the years but he was more than able to look after himself and
the people he loved.
"You don't need to tell me about heartache babe but you do need to use a
little more self control. You'll end up getting hurt again and I won't be able
to hold back this time no matter what you say." I nodded my head knowing
that Connor and Ethan had struggled with keeping my ordeal a secret from the
rest of the club but I knew that the people involved would finally get their
retribution regardless of the club knowing the full extent of my injuries.
"So why are you sneaking around this early?" he asked with a grin.
I sniggered, "I could ask you the same!"
"Okay smart arse, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine, I just didn't want a lecture from Ethan so I've decided to go
to the refuge early this morning."
"I'm not gonna give you a lecture Ames, I just want you to be safe."
"I know."
Connor moved from the window and stepped back, "Be good, and if you need
to let your hair down again then give me a call." I smiled before I turned
the key in the ignition to start the engine and pulled away into the light
morning traffic. It wasn't a long drive to the refuge but even so it would give
me the time needed to clear my head as the women there had enough on their
minds, without me adding to their troubles.

I drove the thirty minute journey to the refuge and pulled
up outside relieved that the ride over here hadn't been too bad. I glanced out
of the window and up at the sky noticing the thick black clouds that were
forming, it was going to be another bloody awful day. I rummaged around on the
back seat and tugged on the material once I found my coat, I wasn't getting
caught short in the rain although I currently looked like I'd been dragged
through a hedge by the state of my hair. I sniggered to myself thinking about
the palaver I had this morning of trying to get out of the flat without Ethan
waking up. I shook my head gently and smiled as I grabbed for my handbag and
the carrier bag, containing my change of clothes and make up from the passenger
seat and stepped from my car to make my way towards the building.

As I neared the entrance I flashed my badge to Henry, the
security guard at the refuge and he smiled through the glass entrance as he
opened the first door.
"Good morning," I said cheerfully as I walked into the pod waiting
for the doors to close behind me before he opened the second set of doors.
"Morning Amy, and how are you this morning?" he asked questioningly.
I hadn't put on any make-up this morning and my hair was scragged back in a
messy bun as I was in a hurry, so I knew immediately what that look was for as
I usually took pride in my appearance. I sniggered and held up the carrier bag,
"Don't worry Henry, I'll be looking like my normal self in ten
minutes." I gave him a playful wink as I made my way towards the bathroom
on the first floor.

I looked at myself in the reflection and pulled my skin
around as I examined the dark circles under my eyes. I groaned at the sight and
knew that I needed to have some early nights otherwise they'd only get worse.
Taking out my make up bag I felt relieved that I could cover the blemishes. I
always liked to look my best, not because I was vain, far from but I didn't
want the women here to ask questions and worry about my problems as they had
enough of their own to think about.

Ten minutes later, I was looking radiant and had changed
into my comfortable clothes to go about my business. Today I'd be working in
the nursery for a couple of hours to help with the children while their mothers
either went to work or just had a break from all the strains and stresses of
being a mother.
I enjoyed working with the young children and there were certainly some
characters here of all ages. My favourite was a little boy called Nathan, he
was six but tiny for his age and he'd taken an instant liking to me. He was a
little sweetie and he made me laugh with his outlook on life as he was very
black and white, and that's why I enjoyed working with the children as they
were less complicated than adults were.

"Amy!" Nathan shouted excitedly as I walked
through the doors to the nursery.
"Good morning Nathan, how are you this morning?" I asked as he came
bounding over to give me a hug.
"Good," he said with a nod of the head as he wrapped his tiny arms
around me. I held him close and let him cuddle me which was our ritual every
morning that I came here before we got on and played with some of the toys.
"I've been told this morning that I can take two of you to the park."
Nathan's face lit up knowing full well that I'd take him. "So I've decided
that I'm going to take Jacob and...Nathan!"
The two boys ran over to me for a hug and I held them close savouring the
moment. They weren't allowed out often and the facilities here weren't that
great but there was a park not too far from here, and certain members of staff
were allowed to take the children out for small periods of time with the
consent of their mothers. Some of the children groaned when I said the names of
the children I'd selected but it wasn't for want of trying, some mothers were
so scared that they didn't want their children to go outside.

Myself and another volunteer played with the children and
after their mid-morning snack, I told the two boys to get their hats, gloves
and coats on as it was freezing outside. The weather hadn't cheered up but I
was taking them regardless as they needed some fresh air.
The boys excitedly ran to the pegs to collect their items and I helped them get
dressed making sure that they were wrapped up warm.
"Are you ready boys?" I asked standing to attention.
"Yeah!" They said in unison as we marched from the nursery and down
the stairs to the foyer.

"Sign here please Amy." Henry said holding up the
paperwork that needed to be signed by any adult taking out a child. I signed on
the dotted line and noticed the two boys jigging around impatiently which made
me smile.
"Who wants which hand?" I asked criss crossing them over. It didn't
matter what hand they took but I liked to make a game out of it as I enjoyed
seeing them smile. They both grabbed a hand and I walked towards the glass
doors and waited for the set to close behind me before the main doors were
open. It wasn't the best security I had seen within a refuge but it would do
the trick of keeping unwanted visitors out.
The doors opened and I felt the cold swirl around us, I grasped the boy's hands
tightly and we took off on the short journey towards the park. Both boys wanted
to run off ahead but I made it clear that if we were doing this they needed to
hold my hand until we got to the park. My thoughts quickly wandered away from
the task at hand to think about what it may be like to be a mum holding the
hands of her own children but I quickly shook the thought knowing that I would
only upset myself.

I let go of the boy's hands and pushed on the heavy metal
gate to the park, "Off you go then." It was as if I'd released two
puppies off their leads as the boys ran around the park not even bothering with
the brightly coloured apparatus, they were more interested with running around
and kicking the leaves that had fallen from the trees.
I sat myself down on the nearest bench and watched in wonder at the enjoyment
on their cute little faces as they chased each other and genuinely enjoyed
themselves.

I didn't know how long we'd been there but I was conscious
of time and slid the screen on my iPhone. We'd been here longer than allowed
and I rolled my eye's knowing that I'd be told off by the centre manager but it
was for no other reason than the boys enjoying themselves.
"Nathan! Jacob! Come on boys we need to be heading back." I saw their
smiles leave their little faces as they made their way over to me dragging
their feet. "Time's up boys but I'll bring you here again next week."
I made sure that their coats were fastened securely and as I did, I noticed a
man leaning against a tree smoking a fag as he looked in our direction. He
didn't necessarily look out of place but I was mindful of his presence and made
sure I took a note of what he was wearing. I smiled at the other mums in the
park and took the boys hands as we started our journey back to the refuge.

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with
W," Jacob said as we walked along the path.
It was my turn to answer first, "Wall?"
"No."
"Windows?" Nathan asked.
"No."
I looked around the street and couldn't see anything else that may begin with
the letter W. We neared the refuge and I wanted to finish the game before we
entered the building. "Give us a clue Jacob."
"It's landing on us." I glanced at my sleeve and smiled as I knew
what he meant. "Water?" I guessed to hear his giggles.
"No silly it's wain," he replied still laughing at me for getting it
wrong.
"Wain?" I asked still a little confused.
"Jacob it's rain not wain." Now it was Jacobs turn to look confused
as Nathan and I started to laugh.

We arrived outside the building and I flashed my card to
Henry although he knew who I was. The doors started to open and I heard the
sound of someone running on the wet ground. I turned around and saw the very
same man from the park running towards the building. I instinctively pushed the
two boys inside the glass door and screamed at Henry to shut them. My screams
scared the children and in turn, they screamed panicked by what they were
seeing. Henry pressed the button to close the doors but it wasn't happening quickly
enough, I needed to put myself between the man and the boys and protect them.
He pulled on my coat trying to yank me out of the way but I held firm. I
glanced around at the door noticing that it was nearly closed. The man made a
surge towards the door and I knew if he got his fingers in the gap the door
wouldn't close but then the other door wouldn't open either to free the boys.
The looks on their little faces broke my heart and I could feel the anger
building inside me.
I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him but he was too strong for my small frame,
this got his attention and he turned thrashing his fists around but I moved out
of his way. I needed to think of a way in which I could fight off a man when
inspiration hit me. I ran over to him and managed to jump on his back, he moved
around aggressively but I managed to get him away from the doors and they
slowly started to close again. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance
and only hoped that they would hurry as I didn't know for how much longer I
could hold on for. The man turned around and barged me into the building and I
felt a shooting pain run up my back but I wasn't letting go until I knew that
the children were safe.